Disclaimer: I own nothing; just the OC
'Thought'
"Talking"
*Action*
"Powerful entity (gods, dragons, etc.)"
[System]
"I'm so bored." I groan as I lay on the floor of my forge.
For a while now, I've done nothing but forge a multitude of weapons in order to simply pass the time. Only to realize that I've made so many that the room was on the verge of imploding. Thankfully, Ms. Malachite was kind enough to buy them off using the money the council had kindly "donated" to her.
This seemed to work… for a while.
As my skills leveled up, the quality of my weapons became higher and higher until eventually no one wanted to buy them anymore.
My weapons were just too good.
Now I am bored again. I continued to practice my [Dark Matter Manipulation] and even started to train my other elemental magic, but I eventually got bored again.
"This fucking sucks." I said out loud. "I'm out of shit to do. The others don't need me to manage them anymore and I can't exactly go out because the world is after my ass."
[Why not try looking for a new hobby? If you're bored maybe you should try to broaden your horizons]
"Hm. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try." I shrug and stand up. I walk upstairs and find Vernal slouching on the couch looking like death.
"Hey, V. Where's Neo?" I asked.
Vernal sluggishly points to the kitchen. I lean beside the entrance to find tubs of empty ice cream littered everywhere and Neo passed out on the table with Ice cream plastered all over her face.
"Right…" I lean back and turn my attention to Vernal again. "Hey… do you wanna go out for a bit?
Upon hearing those words, Vernal quickly stands up and dashes towards me like a dog about to get a treat.
"Really!?" Vernal exclaims. "Oh gods, I can finally leave this freaking place! Staying here all the damn time, with that thing," She points at Neo. "Is driving me crazy! I don't know how much of this I can take!"
Yikes and here I thought I was going crazy being stuck at home.
"Just get me out of here!" Vernal demands.
"Okay, okay. Just let me change first." I told her.
Later
"I can't believe you made me agree to this." Vernal groaned.
"For the record, you choose to come with me. I didn't make you do anything." I told her.
We walk down through the forest, seemingly lost but we don't care. We both needed to leave that small cottage Malachite put us in, it was going to drive us insane if we stayed another second without doing anything.
"And also, why are you wearing that outfit!?" Vernal asked, pointing at my outfit.
I was wearing light brown shorts along with a gray tank top and black sneakers. "What's wrong with it?"
"You do realize we can get attacked by Grimm, right? You could have put on some armor to cover the vitals parts." Vernal suggested.
'Not that it would do much anyway.' My body can tank pretty much any damage plus the Grimm around here aren't really strong. "You shouldn't worry too much about me, but thanks for the concern. I like people like you." I smiled.
Vernal stutters and as a shade of pink forms on her face. "S-Shut up!"
I smile a little until a question comes to my mind. "Hey, Vernal?"
"Hm?"
"Do you… miss the tribe?" I asked.
Vernal stops and looks down at the ground. "Sometimes…" She admits. "Not a day goes by where I don't miss those idiots. We were raised together, grew up together, and fought together. If it were up to me… I would have died with them." Vernal said with conviction. "If Raven hadn't returned to us all those years, we would have died out a long time ago. We weren't even mad that Qrow didn't come back though not all of us were happy that he walked away, especially Raven." She chuckles. "It's funny… I never shared this with anyone at the tribe, not even Raven yet I feel fine sharing it with you."
'Hm, the more I listen to her, the more I realize just how different things are compared to the show.' I thought. 'But compared to the show, things here are relatively better. It's likely due to my influence in this world.'
"Hey, can I ask you a question?"
"Shoot."
"What did you do before we met? You said you hid from Ozpin and Salem but you never elaborated on it." Vernal asked.
I let out a sigh. Oh boy, she had to ask. There's no way in hell I'm going to tell her the truth she'll think I'm crazy and shit.
"It's… complicated." I answered.
"After everything I've seen so far, I can probably handle it." Vernal said.
Screw it, I'm in this deep might as well bullshit my way to the end.
"Let me tell you a story. There was once an orphan from a faraway village who didn't quite fit in with the others. He had eyes that unnerved people and attracted Grimm like a beacon. He had powers that didn't require Aura to use. As a result, he was abused and ostracized by everyone; forced to do work that the adults wouldn't do themselves. One day, a Huntress arrived at the village looking for someone and saw a mob of people going after someone. The Huntress, curious, leaped to the front of the mob and saw the orphan beaten and scared. The Huntress demanded the villagers to explain themselves and they said that they were getting rid of the blight that has plagued the village for so long. Enraged at this, the Huntress beats up every villager in her line of sight, chastising them for ganging up on a child blaming them for their misfortune. When it was over, the Huntress turned her attention back to the orphan and tried to nurse their wounds but the child relented. The Huntress smiles and assures them she wouldn't hurt them and the orphan reluctantly gives in letting her nurse the injuries." I smile. "From then on, the two left the village and went on a journey together. The Huntress taught the orphan many things like reading and writing and even gave the orphan a name."
"What happened to the Huntress?" Vernal asks and as soon as she does the temperature suddenly drops.
"They were attacked by an unknown Faunus. The Faunus rattled on about a Wizard being foolish for sending his best pawn so far from home and the two fought. The Huntress had a difficulty fighting the Faunus and he stabs her with his tail making her grow weaker and falls to one knee. As the Faunus approaches her for the finishing blow, an authoritative voice stops the Faunus in its tracks. The Faunus steps aside as an orb-like Grimm floats from the shadows and its tentacles wrap around her neck. A voice comes from the orb and Huntress recognizes it as the Queen. The Queen says that she is misguided in trusting the Wizard and offers her a place at her side, promising safety for her and her family."
"What did she say?" Vernal asked.
I picked up a tree branch from the ground. "The Huntress was undeterred by her honey words and told her that she will be defeated… and paid the ultimate price."
*CRUNCH!*
Vernal jolts at the sudden noise.
"The Faunus asked what to do with the orphan and the Queen simply commanded a nearby Grimm to chase the orphan, and the orphan ran… they ran while crying for the Huntress; their mother." I said. "The Grimm catches up to the orphan but just before it kills them light engulfs the monster and it turns to dust. Since then the orphan vowed to get his revenge on the Queen and her acolytes and that no one suffers through what they went through."
"...that orphan was you, wasn't it." Vernal said.
'She bought it!' I look up at the sky. "It's been well over 15 years since that day… 15 years of living in fear while hiding from the public eye." I look down my hands somberly. "It was also during that time that I learned that what I had was magic like the fairytales."
Vernal gives me a look of sympathy.
New perk [Storyteller] acquired!
[Storyteller]
Anyone will believe the stories you say, whether it is the truth or not.
"Are you okay?" She tries to reach out but is stopped by a strange pressure she was feeling.
"... I think that's enough storytelling for now." I said and walked forward.
"Wait!" I stop walking. "What was the Huntress' name?"
I didn't turn to look at her. "Summer… her name was Summer Rose."
We continue our walk through the forest while keeping our distance from each other. Vernal looks like she wants to say something, but her face cringes as she fails to come up with something that wouldn't make me uncomfortable. It honestly surprised me how much of an effect my story had on her even though it was all made up. Summer Rose was just a name that suddenly came into mind, I could have chosen anyone else and the overall story wouldn't have changed. The fact that such events like that is so common on Remnant made the story even more believable.
[Summer Rose's fate was never stated in the show and have been left to speculation, so using that to your advantage was pretty smart even if it wasn't on purpose]
'Still it does beg the question; what really happened to Summer Rose?'
[I probably wouldn't think too much about it. Her role in this world is inconsequential to you. Even if we find out what happened to her, would it really change anything?]
'I wanna say yes? I mean she is the driving force to Ruby becoming a Huntress and has been present in some way especially during Vol. 7 and 8.' I thought.
We eventually arrive at a ruined entrance to a village. The village itself was burned to the ground though a lot of the structures seem to have survived. But if you pay close attention, you can see remnants of clothes and weapons such as arrows on the ground and under those are objects that vaguely resemble bones.
A lot of bones.
Vernal picks up an intact bow. "What do you think could have done this?"
I stare at the nearby walls. "I think the answer is pretty obvious."
Vernal turns to my line of sight and sees the large claw marks egged into the bricked wall. "Grimm… not surprised."
I look around the ruins and notice something buried in the rubble. I walk towards it and dig it up revealing it to be a flower symbol engraved into the rock.
"This must be the village's insignia." I mused. 'I feel like I've seen it before…'
Vernal shivers a little at the cold air around her. "Hey, let's get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps."
I glance at Vernal. "Yeah… yeah there's nothing left. Let's go back to the safehouse; the others must be worried."
*CLOP*
*CLOP*
*CLOP*
"W-What was that!?" Vernal said, freaked out at the sudden noise.
*CLOP*
*CLOP*
I put the rock down as the noise gets closer. It somewhat sounds like the footsteps of a horse.
*CLOP*
*CLOP*
*CLOP*
*CLOP*
The sound gets closer and we see something beyond a couple of buildings. It is a large horse-like Grimm with a humanoid-like torso fused to it. On its back is it's exposed spine with sharp spikes coming out of it along with a variety of weapons from previous battles stuck in it.
Nuckelavee Level: 69
9234/9234 HP
8200/8200 SP
Description: The Nuckelavee was a horse-like creature with an equine main body and a skinless humanoid creature that was fused with it. Its forelegs were shaped like claws and it had hooved hind legs that left a characteristic hoofprint. The Imp body has long curved horns on its head, a mouth that looks almost sewn shut, and two long elastic arms each with two clawed fingers. Despite its jerky movements, it was quite fast and used its unnaturally stretchy limbs to attack. Its screams were also very discomforting to the ear. It could also rotate its humanoid torso indefinitely without stretching, twisting, or breaking its attachment to the horse while extending its arms and using them as whips. Its body is surprisingly durable, despite what its frail appearance can lead you to believe.
'Well that confirms it. We're in Kuroyuri.' I thought.
"Is it too late to leave?" Vernal asked.
The humanoid head turns to us with an audible crack.
"Yeah. Now it's too late." I said.
Emergency!
Quest: An Extermination Long Overdue
Kuroyuri was once a beautiful village until the Nuckelavee and its pack appeared and killed everyone in the village, leaving only two known survivors. Kill it and end the stigma haunting a certain someone.
Objective: Kill the Nuckelavee
Objective 2: Kill all the Grimm nesting in Kuroyuri
Bonus Objective: Make sure Vernal survives
Reward: 569888 EXP, 455678 Credits, Legendary Gacha Token, Gacha Tokens, Skill
The humanoid part of the Grimm lets out a loud scream despite its mouth being sewed shut. Vernal and I cover our ears from the incredibly disturbing noise as Grimm of different kinds suddenly rise from the ruins.
"Are you fucking serious!? Where the hell were these bastards hiding!?" Vernal yells out.
"They must have been dormant in the village and this sonuvabitch just woke them up!" I exclaimed.
"We have to get out of here!" Vernal heads towards the exit only to be stopped by Gorilla-like Grimm.
"It's no use, if we want to leave we'll have to fight." I told her.
Vernal gawks at the idea. "Are you fucking insane!? There's no way we'll be able to get through these many Grimm. We'll die!"
"We'll die if we try to run, either way we can't escape." A black miasma begins to surround my body. "I'll take care of these guys. You find a way to get out of here."
"But you'll die-"
"That's an order Vernal!" I yell as my voice drops down a few decibels.
Vernal's grip on her weapons tighten as she grits her teeth. "Goddammit!" She gives me one last look before leaving my line of sight.
[Was that really such a good idea? You left her completely unprotected]
"She'll be fine. She'll contact Raven and portal her out of here. Besides…" I crack my knuckles while rolling my neck making a crack noise. "It's been a while since I've cut loose."
The Beowulfs let out a roar and charge with full intent to kill. Time seems to slow down as the Grimm's movements become slower. I let out a deep breath and take a stance similar to a praying mantis. As they come closer to me, their bodies suddenly twist unnaturally and are completely torn apart leaving them as a mess of torn muscle and limbs on the ground before evaporating into dust.
"...?" The Nuckelavee looks at the scene perplexed.
I jump upwards to abnormal heights and raise my right hand, summoning a blaster to my side. The blaster fires a black beam of energy wiping out all of the Beowulfs in the area. The resulting smoke causes some of the Grimm to panic; not being able to see their prey is making them agitated.
The Nuckelavee stares at the smokescreen in anticipation. Throughout the years it has existed, this Grimm has gained [Knowledge]... [Knowledge] of battle and how to use its body as a weapon to its full potential. The humans from this village were annoyingly weak, weaker than some Grimm it has encountered; it doesn't matter what sort of tricks he uses.
He'll die just like the rest.
One of the gorilla Grimm decided to step forward into the smoke…
*CRACK!*
Only for a leg to come out of nowhere and crushes its head and continues downward, spitting the body into two.
As the two halves fall and evaporate, I walk up to a group of Gorilla Grimm.
Beringel Level: 56
5895/5895 HP
4500/4500 SP
Description: Beringels are covered in black skin, with bone-like plates covering their bodies at certain places like armor. A red pattern or symbol resembling an eye is present on their back. They are one of the stronger known types of Grimm as well as a surprisingly durable and aggressive foe and displays impressive strength, destroying structures with blows from its bare hands. It is also the only known Grimm to use smaller Grimm by throwing or propelling them at enemies.
I stare at the group of monsters and smirk before raising my arm and making a "Come on" gesture.
The Beringel raises to the taunt and pounces towards me, pulling its massive arm back and throws straight at me. The fist comes closer but before it can fully come into contact with my face my body instinctively twists around to avoid the hit as my arm makes a crescent motion leaving behind a blue aura that cleaves the Grimm's head off.
Skill Level Up!
[Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist LVL. 3/100]
"So this is how the technique works, huh?" I look at the blue aura engulfing my hands. It feels completely different from my own Aura.
The Nuckelavee stares at me with anticipation before glancing at the other Grimm and as if giving them a command, they all move forward.
"So you're sending the rest of your toys? Fine, I'll indulge you." I stump hard at the ground causing large cracks to appear before rushing forward. The Grimm have no time to react as all they see is a blue wisp before their twist and their bones cave in unnaturally instantly killing them before they hit the ground.
Skill Level Up!
[Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist LVL. 22/100]
A massive shadow looms over me and it's from a rock-like Grimm.
Geist (Preta Gigas) Level: 55
7899/7899 HP
5600/5600 SP
Description: A Geist is a possession-type Grimm, capable of controlling any inorganic matter or inert mass it possesses as extensions of its own body. A Petra Gigas is formed when a Geist possesses rocks consisting of boulders, which form a central body and four levitating limbs. Through the Geist's influence, these boulders gain red vein-like markings. Through its stiff and slow movements, the Petra Gigas utilizes its enormous mass to deliver heavy attacks. The rocks that form its body are virtually immune to slashing attacks as well as lightning and fire Dust ammunition. Because the rocks are not physically connected to one another, it is possible to weaken the Petra Gigas by forcibly removing its limbs. Its only real vulnerability is its "face", the central segment from which it maintains control of the form as a whole.
"So just aim for the head then?" A sword construct appears beside me and blasts off at sonic speeds hitting the face before it can even react. The construct begins to shine brightly and explodes destroying most of the Petra Gigas leaving only its legs before they turn into regular rocks.
I turn my attention to the remaining Grimm and send them a warm smile. "Don't be sad. I didn't forget about you guys." I raise my arms up in the sky. The Grimm raise their heads and see that it is nighttime but the sun is still out. In reality, the sky is littered with hundreds of black constructs all lined up and overloaded with Aura.
"There's plenty to go around!"
I lower my arms and the swords descend… and explosions follow.
What would have been considered a near difficult battle by most denizens of Remnant, it was nothing short of a massacre. The moment a construct makes contact with anything, they explode engulfing everything around them.
The Grimm scream as they're bodies are completely engulfed in the explosions, reducing them to nothing.
It was music to my ears.
After a minute the bombardment ended and there was nothing left.
No Grimm, no ruins.
Just an empty barren wasteland.
You have killed Alpha Beowulf (x58)! You have gained 1080 EXP (x58)! You have gained 677 Credits (x58)!
You have killed Beringel (x46)! You have gained 1156 EXP (x46)! You have gained 723 Credits (x46)!
You have killed Geist (Petra Gigas) (x8)! You have gained 1878 (x8)! You have gained 788 Credits (x8)!
You have killed Ursa Major (x20)! You have gained 925 (x20)! You have gained 556 Credits x(20)!
Level Up! (x6)
"Oh shit…" I suck in my teeth. "I might have gotten carried away. Hopefully Ren doesn't get too mad about it."
*PING* I turn around to see the massive body of an Ursa Major about to attack me only to stop by the loud sounds of gunshots. The Grimm stays still until it falls revealing the one behind it to be Vernal herself.
"Vernal? I thought I told you to head back to the safehouse!" I said.
Vernal holsters her weapons. "Never made it. Some stray Grimm intercepted and had to fight them off. Then the sky turned black and the entire village was bombarded. I was lucky I found a place to hide otherwise I would have been killed in the explosion."
My face visibly cringes at her statement. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine, it's fine, don't worry about it." Vernal grabs my shoulder. "I'm just glad you're alive."
I arch an eyebrow. "Of course I'm alive, why wouldn't I be? These Grimm were barely even a challenge."
"That's not the point, moron. If something happened to you… well…" Vernal's hand slowly moves down and grabs my hand.
'Oh…' I stare at Vernal as she's blushing a storm.
"You see, the thing is…" Vernal tries to form a cohesive sentence. "Asmodeus… I-I… I lo-"
A black blur hits Vernal with an audible crack sending her flying across the destroyed land.
I slowly turn to my right to see the Nuckelavee still alive but missing an arm. The horse half stumbles as it uses all its energy to not fall.
"You…" The voice that said that wasn't human; not in the slightest. "You just don't know when to die, do you?"
Cracks begin to appear on the mouth part of the mask and with a crunch it opens revealing not a normal mouth, but a ridiculous amount of sharp teeth that is separated into three rows each one smaller the further it is. It lets out a roar beckoning me to fight it, but I was not having it.
In a swift motion, I rip the horse's head off stunning the Grimm as it can no longer stand on its hind legs. The upper half's arms stretch and use them as whips to attack. They hit their target with all their strength but to the Grimm's shock, it isn't doing anything.
"Annoying!" I grab both of its arms and instantly crush them in my hands.
The Grimm glares at me but steps back in fear as it sees my [Evil Smile]. "I'm going to tear you apart."
The Nuckelavee tries to run but the human is faster as he tackles and pins it to the ground, unable to rise again.
Grimm are creatures that are attracted to negative emotions and will feed off of them if there is enough.
However in this case, the Nuckelavee can sense the human's negative emotions and it is drowning in them. Never before had it sensed more negativity in one human in its entire existence. Not even the Queen can put out this much negative energy.
"I have a question; do Grimm feel fear? It's something that I've been meaning to find out since I first came to this world." A smile adores my face; it's not normal. "Let's find out, shall we?"
I reach out with my hands and begin to rip pieces of the Nuckelavee off slowly to make sure it hurts. The Imp part wails as I gleefully continue to rip it apart; its screams just make it even more satisfying!
"You could have kept this between us, but instead you decided to hurt someone I care about and I can't let that slide." I grab the horse's exposed ribs and tear the bones off one by one. "On a scale of one to ten, how much does this hurt?"
The Imp's body twitches uncontrollably with each bone torn off. How is this human overpowering it!? Humans are not meant to be like this! It gazes into the human's eyes and only sees oblivion in them; a void that there was no getting out of.
This wasn't a human.
"So little Grimm, do you feel fear?"
It's a monster.
The Imp torso separates from the remains of the horse letting it turn to dust as it attempts to crawl away.
"Where do you think you're going?" I grab the Imp's head. "You think you can get away after what you did? Sorry but that's not happening."
The Imp lets out a quiet wail as if it's begging for mercy.
"Sorry but I don't give mercy to assholes. But don't worry, I'll put that strength of yours to good use." I activate [Plunder] and take all of its remaining strength and the Grimm quickly turns to dust.
You have taken the following:
VIT + 7
STR + 10
DEX + 12
INT + 9
WIS + 7
MAG + 11
LUK + 6
CHA + 4
You have killed the Nuckelavee! You have gained 39509 EXP! You have gained 45018 Credits!
Level Up! (x2)
"It's over." I look around at the destruction… and the person that I lost. "Vernal… I'm so sorry."
"Why are you apologizing? I didn't take you for a pussy."
I turn around and I can't believe what I'm seeing. Standing there is Vernal looking completely unharmed.
"Vernal…" I run towards and embrace her. "I… I thought that… you-"
"Died? C'mon, it'll take more than a smack to kill me though if it wasn't for my Aura taking all the damage I may have broken my neck." Vernal said.
I laugh. "Say, what was that you were going to tell me earlier? Before you got smacked across the area."
"Oh… forget about it, let's just go." Vernal says before I pull her closer.
"No… not until I give you this." I lean closer and kiss her, surprising the bandit girl. She immediately gives in and reciprocates the kiss. To them, it's like time has stopped in order to express themselves. After 30 seconds, our lips depart and we look into each other's eyes.
"Wow… that was…" Vernal began.
"Amazing, just like you." I said, causing her to blush.
Quest Complete!
Quest: An Extermination Long Overdue
Objective 1 (Complete): Kill the Nuckelavee
Objective 2 (Complete): Kill all the Grimm nesting in Kuroyuri
Bonus Objective( Complete): Make sure Vernal survives
Reward: 569888 EXP, 455678 Credits, Legendary Gacha Token, Gacha Tokens, Skills, Items
Level Up! (x21)
[Legendary Gacha Token (x2)]
[Gacha Token (x2)]
Items acquired:
Perk Token
Rarity: A
Description: Gives the user one random perk when broken
Secondary Heart
Rarity: A
Description: When your HP hits zero in a burst you can regain 35% of your max HP. Cooldown of once per 9 days. Side effect, when fully charged and unused SP regen is +20
Skills acquired:
[Lavula LVL. 1/100]
Flow your energy around and through your body, making your body similar to a lava flow acting as an armor as instead of HP damage is dealt to the energy reserve used
[Aura of Despair LVL. 1/100]
Cost 20 MP to cast
An aura of pure negativity that surrounds the user causing every living within 30 feet to be inflicted with [Fear], which inflicts a penalty to all actions. Besides inflicting fear, it can reduce the stats of its victims by 8. Despair Aura will not have an effect on opponents above level 100, but its effect can be strengthened.
Level 20 unlocks level 2 which inflicts [Panic], a more severe version of Fear, caused by stacking additional Fear effects on each other. Anyone afflicted by that status will want to flee the ability user at all costs ― in other words, they will be unable to take any combat-related actions against the caster.
Level 30 unlocks level 3 which inflicts [Confusion] on the enemy causing the target to lose control of their bodily functions and disorientate their senses.
Level 40 unlocks level 4 which inflicts [Insanity] on the enemy and it is permanent.
Level 50 unlocks level 5 which causes [Death] on all enemies.
"That was my first kiss."
"Mine too." I said. "Want another one?"
However, before we could kiss again a portal appears and out of it comes Raven looking a little pissed off.
"Where the hell were you idiots!? Don't you realize that we're supposed to lay low!?" Raven looks around and sees the destruction. "And what the hell happened here!?"
"It's a long story, Raven." I said with a yawn.
"Whatever, I don't give two shits anyways. Just get in the portal." Raven walks into the portal.
I feel something in my hand and look down to see Vernal's fingers interlocking with mine. "When we get back, I want to show you everything." Vernal whispers husky and drags me through the portal.
Author Notes
No previews for this one.
Anyways, it's been almost a month since I've updated this book. I've been helluva busy with moving to our new house, buying all the furniture, and just getting everything in order. I've received most of the stuff that I left back home except for my PS5 and Nintendo Switch and I've just been anxious because I don't want to lose these and I don't want them again (especially with how things are right now). I've also been looking for work but no luck which sucks.
Anyways this chapter serves as a filler to what's to come later and to expand the relationship between the mc and Vernal. So I hope you guys enjoy it.
Peace~